Increasingly, there are calls for an end to the era of free parking – more than 95% of car journeys in the country terminate with free parking, and yet the cost to the economy and infrastructure, as well as the taxpayer, is anything but free.

Parking hotspots occur in a variety of situations and here are some of the most common:

-Major retail areas, e.g. shopping malls;

-Downtown and Main Street;

-Hospitals;

-Universities and major education centers;

-Major public offices, e.g. City Hall, courthouses

-Transportation hubs and stations, e.g. Amtrak station, airports

-Popular recreational centers

Almost every visit to one of these hotspots is by car and this places a great deal of pressure on the local road infrastructure and especially the need for parking facilities. Some hotspots have developed parking solutions which are unique to them, for instance at airports the public generally accepts that parking the car will be very expensive, but there are other hotspots where public perception is that parking should be free, e.g. at hospitals and retail outlets.

The truth is that there is no one, single parking solution which will deal with the situation in an optimal fashion. Parking needs to be controlled by a variety of techniques in order to provide the best services for all the stakeholders involved – the employees working there, the visitors to that establishment and the local residents are living in the proximity of the hotspot.

A three-way combination of traffic techniques and control can be very effective.

First of all, by providing shuttle services into the hotspot from outside the area for employees who must attend the hotspot area because that is where their job is at. This avoids the stress of a commute into the hotspot which is also likely to suffer from traffic congestion, and also relieves pressure on parking availability in the hotspot which is then better used to provide greater utility and convenience to either residents or customers/users in the hotspot.

Secondly, a rigorous parking permit scheme to control the immediate vicinity of the hotspot so that residents are protected. By denying parking privileges to visitor traffic in the residential area, this reduces the traffic congestion they experience on their side streets and neighborhood and focuses visitors to use either public transport to get into the hotspot or to use the parking facilities provided at the hotspot.

Thirdly, by charging for parking which is provided at the hotspot, this ensures that there is a good throughput of visitor traffic and that parking becomes available for other visitors faster. Charging can be avoided by introducing a time limit on parking which is also rigorously enforced. This stops the situation where a visitor to the hotspot parks in a 2-hour permitted bay only to leave the vehicle there all day. When a visitor does that, chaos can ensue when other visitors look for a spot and cannot find one. A strict 2-hour parking limit would make things run smoothly and prevent chaotic situations.

By combining parking and traffic control techniques, an optimal solution can be found for everyone involved.

Author Bio: By Mark Trumper, President of MaverickLabel.com, the Internet’s leading provider of custom labels, stickers and decals. They provide parking hang tags and make it easy to order parking permits , MaverickLabel.com can provide all of your label needs. Call 1-800-537-8816.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: permits, hang tags, labels, decals, bumpers, stickers, window decals